Skin-eating fungus could wipe out world’s salamanders

November 1, 2014 4:01 PM

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An emerging disease that is wiping out salamanders in portions of Europe could spread to the U.S. through international wildlife trade. University of Maryland amphibian expert Karen Lips says that steps need to be taken to curtail the spread of the disease.

The recently described fungus, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, has led to a sharp decline in wild populations of fire salamanders in the Netherlands. After the fungus was discovered in Europe last year, Lips joined with an international team of experts that tested over 5,000 amphibians from four ...